The national standard introduced "sterilization" home appliances no longer speak for themselves

In recent years, the use of nanotechnology, sterilization rate of 99.99%, "electrolysis of water to make bacteria removal effect increased by 100 times" and other similar publicity language in the washing machine market is common, but due to the lack of industry standards, such products not only sterilization, The antibacterial concept is chaotic and quality is uneven, leaving many consumers discouraged. On September 15, the mandatory national standard “Special Requirements for Antibacterial, Germicidal, and Decontamination of Household and Similar Electrical Appliances for Washing Machines” (hereinafter referred to as the “Standard”) was officially implemented. Little Swan, Panasonic, Siemens, Whirlpool, Midea, Haier Sanitary, Sanyo and other companies' 159 washing machines also passed the first test. It can be said that the emergence of hard targets is expected to end the "erasing" era of self-talk by home appliance businesses.

Degerming rate requirements into a focus

The standard stipulates that the initial sterilization rate and attenuation sterilization rate of the sterilization washing machine shall not be less than 96% and 86%, respectively.

The reporter noted that the standard first defined the applicable objects, that is, from September 15th, the statement or product specification clearly stated that washing machines with anti-bacterial and anti-bacterial functions must meet the standard requirements before they can be sold on the market. In other words, the sterilization function previously promoted by the company as a selling point has now become a necessary configuration for the sterilization washing machine.

According to Zhang Xiao, director of the Biochemistry Research Office of the Institute of Clean Technology, China Household Electrical Appliances Institute, the standard's positioning of the sterilization function is very clear. That is, sterilization is only an auxiliary function of household appliances and it is a health care function rather than a treatment function. The sterilization rate has clear requirements for the removal of both Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus.

Lu Jianguo, director of the comprehensive inspection department of the National Household Electrical Appliances Quality Supervision and Inspection Center, told the China Electronics News that the sterilization methods adopted by the industry include high temperature, ozone, silver ions, etc. Therefore, the standard requires a washing machine with sterilization function. In the instruction manual, technical indicators such as the type of sterilization and the sterilization rate achieved must be clearly stated. He also mentioned that from the first inspection of the sterilization washing machine, the best effect of high-temperature sterilization, silver ion, ozone, purple and other bacteria removal effect is slightly worse.

Lu Jianguo stressed that in the sterilization function, the standard has clearly defined the initial sterilization rate and attenuation sterilization rate. That is, the initial sterilization rate of the electric washing machine with the sterilization function should not be lower than 96.0%. At the same time, in order to ensure the long-term stability of the sterilization function of the washing machine, the washing machine should maintain a high and effective sterilization rate throughout the entire life cycle. When a wave wheel or agitator type washing machine is run 2,000 times, the drum type washing machine is operated for 2300 hours. According to the standard test method, the attenuation rate of the washing machine should not be lower than 86%. Therefore, the company must clearly indicate this situation in the product specification, and inform consumers of antibacterial components or parts of the washing machine, and how to replace and clean the relevant parts and components.

Reshaping the order of competition

With the introduction of standards, the era of chaos in the eradication of home appliances by business owners is expected to end.

According to the reporter's understanding, the sterilization function of washing machines involves many relevant technical indicators and standards, so it is particularly important to formulate relevant unified game rules and use rules to guide and regulate the development of this technology. At the same time, for consumers, sterilization is a function that is difficult to judge with the naked eye. Consumers can only understand the basic situation from product introduction and function use. It is impossible to confirm or test related indicators by themselves, so the standard becomes the only one. References.

Cai Ying, assistant to the director of the National Information Center, told a reporter from China Electronics News that the introduction of national standards for the sterilization of washing machines has provided reliable technical support for accelerating the healthy development of the washing industry in China and protecting the legitimate rights and interests of enterprises and consumers. In fact, the implementation of the standard not only sets a market entry threshold for sterilization washing machines, standardizes the industry's competitive order, but also enhances the overall level of the industry. The continuous improvement of standard content is actually a process in which the industry's technological level continues to increase.

Lu Jianguo said that before the introduction of the national mandatory standards, the propaganda of the sterilization function is a statement of the manufacturer. With the standards as a basis, the company can conduct self-inspection on the design and function of products, and improve or discontinue production of non-compliant products.

The reporter also learned in the interview that many companies welcomed the introduction of the standard. Ren Peidong, director of the Washing Products Division at Bossier Home Appliances (China) Co., Ltd., said that this is a good thing for the entire industry. He also mentioned that currently Bossi washing machines use high-temperature sterilization to meet the national standards. Whirlpool (China) Investment Co., Ltd. Brand Manager Fang Qi also said that before the introduction of national standards, Whirlpool has a set of testing procedures for sterilization washing machines, in the future will also continue to improve product quality on the basis of standards.

The introduction of the standard also enhances the confidence of many manufacturers. According to the reporter's understanding, in the future, Bossi will try to use silver ions, electrolyzed water and other sterilization methods. At the same time, the product will be more humanized in the design and function of the equipment.

Hysteresis in the implementation of standards

The lags in the implementation of standards and high prices are still the main factors that hinder the popularity of sterilization washing machines.

According to Cai Ying, Assistant to the Director of the National Information Center, in the first half of 2011, the sterilization washing machine accounted for 6.03% of the total sales volume of washing machines and accounted for 22.37% of drum washing machine sales. In this regard, Fang Qi said that the market capacity of sterilization washing machine is not big enough, the main constraints are three points: First, the standard of awareness is not high enough; Second, the average price level is high; Third, the propaganda is weak.

At present, one month has passed since the official implementation of the National Compulsory Standard, has the first batch of 159 models of sterilization washing machines that have passed the test been “certified”? Recently, the reporter visited a large appliance store in Chaoyang District. A salesman explained that according to his knowledge, the current washing machine has only corresponding standards in terms of energy saving, noise, and degree of cleanliness. No one knows about the introduction. In this regard, Ren Peidong told reporters that the current market, washing machines are mostly listed and sold before September 15, due to the implementation of the new national standard soon, for the products that passed the test, the company configuration test certificate, replacement test identification also requires a transition period. In addition, Lu Jianguo said: "The uniqueness, mandatory, and inviolability of the mark must be strengthened."

At the same time, the reporter learned from the interview that due to a series of complicated issues involving product structure design, precise control of sterilization time, identification of clothes, etc., the application of sterilization technology in the field of washing machines is still in the preliminary stage, and therefore the washing machine is equipped with related functions. The general price is higher. The reporter found that most of the sterilization washing machines currently sold on the market are between RMB 4,000 and RMB 5,000, and some are as high as USD 8,000, which is much more expensive than ordinary washing machines.

Despite this, relevant experts and companies are optimistic about the popularity of sterilization washing machines. Cai Ying believes that as the sterilization standard goes deep into people’s hearts and corporate technological innovations, the sterilization function should become one of the standard features of washing machines. In the next few years, it will have an active role in promoting the overall sales scale of washing machines and the development of the industry.